Paravina appointed president of American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry

By Kyle Rogers August 22, 2025

Professor Rade D. Paravina, DDS, MS, PhD, has been appointed president of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry.

Paravina, holder of the Ralph C. Cooley, DDS Distinguished Professorship in Biomaterials, is a tenured professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics and director of the John M. Powers, PhD, Center for Biomaterials and Biomimetics at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry.

He will lead the AAED in advancing the art and science of esthetic dentistry. His one-year term took effect during the academy’s 50th Annual Meeting, held Aug. 7-9 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

As president, his responsibilities include representing the executive council and the academy, presiding over all meetings, appointing committee chairs and members with council approval, serving on the Membership and Nominating Committee, and submitting annual reports and correspondence to the Executive Council. He is also tasked with overseeing committee appointments and performing other duties as the council prescribes.

A distinguished leader in esthetic dentistry, Paravina is the founder and past president of the Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry. His accolades include the 2011 E. B. Clark Award, the SCAD Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the 2014 Jerome M. and Dorothy Schweitzer Research Award of the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics.

Paravina serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, the leading journal in esthetic dentistry with an impact factor of 4.1. The periodical ranks 12th of 162 in Dentistry, Oral Surgery, and Medicine in Q1. He also serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Dentistry, Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, International Journal of Prosthodontics, and the American Journal of Dentistry. He is a fellow of the AAED, the SCAD, and the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.

Over the course of his career, Paravina has authored or co-edited four books, 17 book chapters, two software programs, one educational CD, and more than 320 peer-reviewed publications, including articles and abstracts. He has contributed to developing numerous dental products and tests, as well as the Dental Color Matcher, a free online education and training program for esthetic dentistry. He also created the scientific protocol for evaluating the “chameleon effect” of dental materials.

Paravina earned a dental surgery and philosophy doctorate from the University of Niš School of Medicine in Niš, Serbia. In 2013, he began collaborating with Semmelweis University, in Budapest, Hungary, which later awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Paravina has a long track record of representing the School of Dentistry and UTHealth Houston nationally and internationally through his teaching, research, and service, including 130-plus invited international presentations on various topics associated with color and appearance in esthetic dentistry.